this is what remains.

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Me gloating about trump and winning:What I refused to post last night because knowing a candidate and supporting a candidate are two different things... My predictions: Hillary Presidency: a) high inflation rates in Namibia & the developing world (inflation's that thing killing your wealth - easily summarised as not knowing what the price of bread/basic essentials are, undercutting your saving efforts and blames you for the aforementioned and calls you a millennial), b) war schedule continues without ever engaging in diplomacy (which will be left to underlings, rather that the head of state), c) US continues to be the tyrannical axe swinging above the world, wild card: boots on the ground in syria by new year. Trump: a) gives courage to emerging economies to engage in protectionist economic policies (remember, these are technically banned by the IMF & frowned upon by the World Bank), b) return of piecemeal global diplomacy (only losers don't communicate with the enemy), c) a relatable personality in political office who's focused on progress & legacy rather than special interests, wildcard: COP climate series readdressed (doesn't make littering o.k.). Still an easy choice, but not my vote.

So, those of you that knew that I predicted trump victory circa december 2015, you'd know that I am now ruminating about the amount of times I have been right. And I have been right. Many, many, many times. It's true. This will leave a mark on me that will not go away. Many, many, many times. You know it. Hillary blew it! China.

Sunday, January 17, 2016

According to the article : http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-16/iran-to-buy-114-airbus-aircraft-for-iran-air-eyes-more-deals , Iran will be buying planes. Many Planes. 114 A320 and end of production A340s; not all new, of course.

There is no longer a short range commercial passenger liner - less than 1500km range aircraft. Medium Range aircraft travel 12'000km, such as the A320 family.

Other oil empires have built strong Airline companies, on the backs of subsidies. All Non-Free Trage, Anti competitive behaviour. Should Iran operate such an airline company, it would command access to China and, I suspect, Ethiopia.

Friday, November 20, 2015

A rate increase by the Fed (Who is the Fed? The US central bank that sets the pricing on all loans, effectively) in December PLUS a new war, is going to drive inflation through the roof across developing and some emerging countries. If you can't buy bread or milk to feed your family despite being employed, you are not going to have a nice time. Now imagine what the next guy's going to feel like? Expect regime changes. So why would the Fed still raise the rate? Because the rate has been near zero for quite a long time and you need a rate that's larger than inflation to stop people from being unproductive and making themselves poor. What does a near zero do? If you a buy a home in the US where inflation is 1.5%, you might pay 2.5% annual interest on your home loan; contrast that to South Africa with 5% inflation where you will maybe get 9.5% or Namibia with >6% inflation and 10.5% interest charged annually. "So why then can't the SA Reserve Bank and Bank of Namibia simply drop their rate lower?" US Money is fungible/can be changed with something called a promissory note (a promise written on paper) called a US treasury bond. Other currencies (Africa) are not; and therefore the more promissory notes that get published by the US, the more African currencies get weaker; and their economies less competitive. This causes international investment and buying to be done with more "competitive" countries (Asia and Europe). "But cheaper currencies are good for trade!": not exactly, only for commodities and that means we just compete with other commodity producers, resulting in "slave wages" - you need a competitive currency that can follow primary inuts/commodity price cycles, so that investors know when it is a good time to put their money in and when they can expect to get it out at a good return. This is the premise to not only GDP growth and wealth creation/empowerment, but development. And you cannot go from apples to apple juice, to complex food sciences without investment.

It doesn't stop with demolishing the nose of the sphinx. The US know that raising the rate will alienate and destroy Africa; but because the fake paradigm of US dollar wealth (which can only be saved at this point by an expensive war) is in danger, Yellen's announcement is going to bring Africa closer to building it's own Utopia. And it's going to be a painful path; and possibly an even worse destination. Something's got to give.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Sonically, Dev Haynes has expressed himself throughout his career as a servant and a Jehovah-style collaborator. With the former title, I refer to his method of layering - and this video is a great example. With the latter, you need only look as far as his play with all other musicians - it appears as if 'play' is his mode; and although Play was an effect and popular concept in the Gladwell-era (an idiot) of enterprise development, it's forgotten in today's risk-averse polygon.

But the sonics are only a small component of Dev Haynes artistic expression. He may claim to have synesthesia, but (inline with a theme of my blog) who doesn't?

Dev Haynes, possibly subconsciously, is a master of the 3rd item on the complete list of artistic styles: Resurrection. The complete resurrection of 80s pop that this guy delivers as a package is formidable against the real articles; like George Michael's WHAM!, Prince, Lionel Richie, Paula Abdul, Ricky Springfield, Hall & Oates, and New Order.

And Resurrection and the sensation it delivers is so familiar that Dev Haynes might not be so unique - he might be a shiny star amongst us in the night sky - we might all be using Resurrection in the construction of our identities, both internally and externally. Identity Modification, as a wave, began with Pop culture - it is competitive, it was a yardstick. Fun. An opportunity to share opinions and colloquial expressions. We might all be performing acts of artistic resurrection as the path of least resistance?

Dev Hayne's Resurrection Archetype is the modal representative of the Identity Modification Era. Given no resistance - poverty, institutionalisation, procreation, the bulk of humanity would move simply to Expression, as a way of life. Art, as a way of life. The creation of objects that only served themselves, my Art, would be the domain of those who cared not OF this paradigm but OF to change it. This would be the scope of society in a transcending world.

I am refuting the possibility that Dev Hayne's Blood Orange was merely a project - the embodiment is whole and perfect. Heath Ledger became the joker - this guy's buying timeshare at the Club Tropicana.

Sunday, August 31, 2014

I have alot of respect for the Nespresso machine and how it took a product and industry created by a peanut butter manufacturer and spread it around the world (yeah, the whole capsule idea came from peanuts). but when i drink filtered coffee the old fashion way there's this black stuff that gets left in my mugg and it tastes dreadful. but frankly, it wouldn't be coffee without that crap. if i really hated that crap that much, i'd drink instant. and instant is shit. so what does that mean about the drinking experience of coffee in relation to delivery method? Brew. to be continued...

Friday, May 2, 2014

A Response to "Vote 'No'" (Love ANC, but will vote other to pinch their bums)

Not only do I think that gaming an election is immoral, and that the threat of employing underserved people undermines the entire institution of government, but I think it would be right to do a little research and make an informed non-ANC choice. This is something that the article does not ask for. However, given the result of the AMCU negotiations, I would vote for a party that has mentioned the opportunity of 'economic isolation' which would allow for government to address problems that only it alone is capable of solving; the same problems that free enterprise has predated on throughout history. And I would do so in the bid to change Government, ensuring that my democratic accountability as a citizen is enshrined.

I'd like to think that if you count the last 20 years as a success, you have to thank those were there to facilitate the new democracy AND were already in place to effect 'new government' - and I am referring to the bureaucrats. The overwhelming amount of incentive in 1994 for civil servants to vote for the ANC comprised of the deals that were brokered when elections were announced and belief that what would follow was predictable and desirable: job security for themselves and larger budgets with which to execute their task of creating social goods. In 2014, these champions have produced many successes for which the ANC has laid claim to, but I think it is a far less of an account that what they are capable of. And it must be stated that the Tripartite Alliance agreement is also a reason behind this 'cap' on socio-economic reform - one member, which will remain nameless, particularly charmed and inspired the educated elite of the country; in a hope that brute government force would be applied to uplift the nation. Your everyday experience in South Africa is proof that these supporters have been left unsatiated. And it must not be underestimated, the power of these officials. And if you want to look to where their attentions have been directed and the efforts of their few, look at the change in the EFF's rhetoric over the last 12 months - a South African may be able to identify, therein, a convincing argument or two.

Not one of today's 'modern economies' with respectful social welfare programs were founded upon the free market, trickle-down economics or the ballot. Even the British parliament took hundreds of years to knock down monopolies and oligarchs. And if these terms are foreign to you, ask yourself: if the uptake of technology has resulted in few jobs, high inflation and little growth over the last 10 years, how are we going to solve this problem of people living in boxes of salvaged tin, surrounded by polluted water, in the dark around a paraffin lamp? We find ourselves a rainbow nation pursuing nation state solutions -staring into the face of the class struggles and demographic crises of folklore.

The only reason why the EFF underplays the card of Economic Isolation is because it scares the crap out everything.

Friday, April 25, 2014

An utter failure in communication, I am afraid. This is the hurdle that the analyst position in business, today, is about - learning to communicate. Would of loved to have studied under Philip Evans, certainly would have been an honor. But I've had to watch this a dozen times in order to be capable of relaying the message (often, a deliberate reaction by genius to TED time limitations). Full Disclosure: I am involved in data. EDIT: Listening at x0.5 speed helps (this is a paradox - just keep reading). Summary:

Data accrual happens, identification is essential,

An organisation's data collection methodology is what is proprietary; or rather, the differentiator over the short term;

This and any derived advantages, erode over the medium-term,

Stated strategy is what precipitates from what is communicated downward, therefore data in a usable form is the secret now;

And since secrecy is scarce and fragile, And if secrecy is unattainable, competitors must be considered equals in terms of knowledge.

There is too much data for secrecy and it comes in too many different forms.

Certainty about business requires competitor analysis (to be prudent) is now more elusive,

Organisations are thus best served chasing game-changing ideas without guiding principles (strategy).

"The very small can substitute for the corporate scale"

His disclaimer: "it is curious that the future is so much more predictable than the present."

He uses the DNA example because progress was measured and that the capital involved was big,

But it should be noted that this phenomenon is manifesting everywhere.

Simply put: stratification is what is required, not consolidation.

Competition will likely fall away and success will accounted for in terms of quality of relationships.

anyone watching this must, primarily, focus on the fact that this is a political commentator who has agreed to chaperone CNN during this broadcast; and it is clear that these views are his own. Who knows whether Mandela sang this song around his dinner table with his family? He did, and that is my opinion. Secondly, the interpretation of these lyrics when sang by Mandela is "we have taken pain and suffering which was transformed into a hate - precipitated from the struggle, and we have built a country with reconciliation". There are examples of countries that have emerged without reconciliation or violence in africa, and maybe Tata focused on that too much. But this song is a totem to his accomplishments; so Jacob Zuma has done well. I, for one, am not too sure whether non-africans can understand the role of song-play in african cultures and the intuition therein conveyed, so let me try: this song could have been sung in another tone and the commentator points out that it was sung amongst gospels and at religious gatherings. the event of a religious gatherings, it must be noted, is closely associated with salvation of the individual and collective soul. maybe it would be possible for viewers to transport themselves into the mind of the funeral attendees, and sympathise with South Africans about who has been lost. We say things at funerals that should not be said but we say them anyway, as africans, and this is testament to what happened this day - we buried a man, not an idea. long live, tata madiba, long live.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Personally (it is my firmly held opinion), that the caveat here interned is that one's lexicon in the business environment must be robust, and communication from departure must be kept to the highest standard or there will be waste. Commerce has been held back in it's progress compared to the sciences and the arts when it comes to productivity because of the elusive fact that we engage in a fundamental social science everyday, yet our training is focused on manipulating aggregated metrics and foregoes unit capita. It is easy be understood, sell and gain inclusiveness when you have a shared vision and after being humbled by the results of efficient teams. We must continue to realise that what happens between these prerequisites is seldom in error. Maybe it would be wise not to embark when not tethered between these two pillars?

Friday, January 31, 2014

Let me tell you a story... a long time ago it what now seems like a parallel universe, we were working for these megalithic chomping countries who had these mission statements that sounded like those Star Trek "Space...." monologues. Companies, with all their names, were equal to the man in the street; though run by the man not in the street, who we could aspire to be or be like if we worked hard enough or even maybe be mistaken for. Companies facilitated your aspirations. And Govt was their buddy, the one who encouraged us and who's door was always open.

Then companies screwed us, and Govts said "get back together, this changes nothing - you all can keep living together", filled Companies' pockets full of cash for a seafood dinner we would knew we would never see. I feel like a trollop, and I'm not going to take it anymore.

Something was not proven in the crisis and bailouts that began in 2008 (2007 for those in the adv course), a tenant of our beliefs on which so much is built upon; that everything fixes itself without a structure to communicate with the man who is not in the street. Now that the illusion has eroded around the world, and we can see that all that business activity and economic incentive is actually Govt's demand to make itself relevant through facilitating the "social welfare needs"-paradigm. Who is, then, incentivised to create the grassroots crisis? Where is that crisis? Does the world stagnate without a crisis? Or does innovation and awesomeness just spew so early 90-tv-esque like it did when the US ran a surplus in the late 90s? You remember that? Well, guess what - that's not going to happen again. This is broke, de el-permo. In fact, capitalism that spurs innovation does not have the carrying capacity for everyone. Yes, we have chosen something that leaves people behind; and we've also shot ourselves in the foot by making euthanasia illegal - don't laugh, there are few less evils out there and making capitalism our choice is one in the same. The pursuit of markets is not going to deliver for everyone. The Govt shutdown is the end of the game, because a default on the US's det limit is looming in October. The whole experiment of having the US Dollar as the global reserve currency (not one that the whole world agreed to try out) is now reaching another fork in the road, the 5th in as many years; if on the 17th of October the US decides anything - it does not matter what it will be - the effects will something that is beyond the computational power and ability on the face of the planet. It is likely that OPEC would be no more in one year, that we would have an alternative currency to the U$ for international trade of some form, and that a populace would benefit from reducing all forms of credit and or by keeping credit usage very low. Then, taxes were seen as what facilitated

say for example you knew that orange oros tasted really bad, and all you had to do is tell the world in order to bring the orosman to his knees, would you do it from a-top of the hill, in a loud voiced and overbearing manner? [disclaimer: I am a fan of oros, and my opinions are merely my own.]

That's okay - I was bored, anyway

[So she said...]

Up in the San Francisco where the forest meets the bridge I thought I saw you standing there and them you fell into the wellBut that was many years ago and I am so much older now My brother is a soldier now I can't see the many how, I moved up in the wind And you - swimming up tide; or just to the hand radio stations

[And i thought...]

I left my love in San Francisco That's okay, I was bored anyway I left my love in a room That's okay, I was born in L.A.

I left my love in San Francisco That's okay, I was bored anyway I left my love in a field That's okay, I was born in L.A.

And we're restricting on this field That Jesus came from Israel Isaac followed the sacred cow So not to wake up, sparrow splashing mud

But that was many years from now And I hope from here on now I always seemed to want to shout Your eyes are like a cup of tea and sending into the sun with me

You swimming upstream or just tuning into new sensations I was broken and we're broken

I left my love in San Francisco That's okay, I was bored anyway I left my love in the room That's okay, I was born in L.A.

I left my love in San Francisco That's okay, I was bored anyway I left my love in a field That's okay, I was born in L.A.

Thursday, January 30, 2014

"Dr Haruko Obokata explains how she nearly gave up on the project when fellow researchers didn't believe what she had found." Amazings. Organ-regeneration inside the body. I hear people in gene-biotech are pop, lock and dropping! 'But what does that mean?'

The most advanced field of gene-therapy is the administration of therapies; not the therapies themselves. If this discovery leads to treatments within, say, 10 years clinics and laboratories can cash in over the long-term thanks to the on-going treatment nascent to atypical 'internal organ regeneration'-therapy. Before yesterday, the business horizon for genetic and human biotech firms was to innovate at the peak of the technological frontier, off load the innovation for production and public testing, retire the staff as 'legends' and start again - every >10 years. Now, with a broader base of services - more firms can afford the risks of break-through; and the diversification of firms can only mean good things for the future of the science.

Monday, January 27, 2014

Bill Gates: ignorant of the long term effects of 'free aid', will effect short term change tomorrow. Dambisa Moyo: a structural laissez-faire revolutionary says aid cripples government policy renewal, and who may or may not hold a financial position on Vultures Inc. I am concerned with how it is that Gates' letter obviously avoids areas of contention with Moyo's extensively researched work, Dead Aid. It's not the cool aid that you expect, when reading an NPGO Letter and I am afraid that the pictures used are particularly distasteful; neither are they indicative of the great work Mrs and Mr Gates are doing. I am afraid I stand strong with Moyo regarding reform and I think that the Gates believes in their providence and the false choices of aid.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Answer 1
Emergence has failed. The line of political parties do not accommodate for the diversity of people in the country; and this missalignment (voters on one side, political parties on the other) results in two types of errors: eligble voters being forced not to participate in an election, and or eligble voters voting for parties despite a lack of conviction. Emergence is a key term here, since a successful political party in a democracy is expected to win an election because it's policies and candidates best mirror those of the constitutional majority - new political parties should emerge

Answer 2
Without referring back to Mr KFC, let's create a person: Generic A. Generic A has two options: a) start the PP of her dreams, b) don't vote. Let's say that she has no option but to avoid option a) and prefers to focus on her immediate needs, despite the awesome jol that is politics. By not voting (yes, I said it) she is not participating in elections and avoids adding to the confidence-rot which mars today's government. Now imagine this happened earlier on a large scale, say 2003, when instead of 58% of eligibles exercising the right to vote, the figure was, say 45%. I would think that the next election, 2009, would have delivered a better stratification of parties, more choice and, likely, better performance from the ANC in lieu of a complete fracture. It's a classic example of a bubble created by misallocated resources (votes).

If this logic is beyond Mr KFC and if my "Do not vote" suggestion makes your muscles twitch, you need a change that is going to enfranchise the people beyond class, beyond race and solve problems. I say, put the academics and bureaucrats in power who will guide the country which could easily achieved through agile central planning. And when the South Africa that is ready to make it's own choices emerges, maybe competition for governance/power can be reintroduced (yes, you read that correctly).

Answer 3
I might be making some very unpopular deductions and I will be the first to admit that I am partisan to central planning. Mr KC points out to me what a drag democracy has been on the country. I would like to point out the ANC's rule since 94 and the stability that has come from it has to be thanked for the great success achieved thus far, sure, but the Tripartite Alliance has been a significant reason for these success, too - not to forget that many supporters were SACP or COSATU, first. The political dominance delivered by the alliance, by de facto, achieved many of the goals of central planning, anyway. Where I am, the elephant in the room is: why reintroduce mercantile competition for governance? When Juju said "nationalise", why did the country not reject in unison? Like they would in western democracy? oh wait, this is not a western industrialised vertically integrated economy. I really do not know which is more idealistic: recreating the enfranchisement delivered by chinese, khazak and vietnamese-style socialism, or western democracy and the representation that comes with it. How does this relate to Mr KC's statement? Only a realist will acknowledge that his best option is not to vote in the hope that as many other South Africans who have been making the same mistake since 1999 do the same and end the confidence-induced-rot that many say the ANC is. And that means Mr KC will have to wait for 'market forces'.

Answer 4
Mr KC's only option will be to not vote - if he votes, government will only get worse. But, I think we'd agree, that the 58% turnout in the 2004 election was the harbringer of dysfunctional government. In effect, the market for governance (and that's what I think western democracy delivers) is broken. almost like this is not a vertically integrated western country or something?? Mr KC's no vote option should entice 'market forces' to deliver a party to his taste, but because of the deep fractures dividing the needs of people (along incomes, to say mention the most urgent) this minority party is less likely to deliver any results than even the slim chance it has of gaining any influence at all through election. Mr KC's vote is marginal (note: I did not say worthless, but I said it). Collectivism and central planning in the same vein as China, Kazakhstan, Vietnam will deliver

Answer 5
More it's shortcomings, I felt. And Occam's solution would be a multi-tier government that accommodated for each 'class', much like layering the various provincial governments one above the other but on a national level.

Am I the only one that feels like democracy has been nothing but a drag on South Africa? This is a de facto single-party state and much that has been achieved (and we have quite a lot be proud of) could have been done through central planning. I say Mr KC is in the wilderness because he is unwilling to take his other options to a) not vote, or b) start his own political party. "Rationally so", you might think. Well, then drink the kool aid and let the pen lands where it wants. But Mr KC, as middle class and lonely as he is, has decided to voice his opinion and we have now heard him. I say, we have a fantastic education system in this country that produces the right skills to carry out central planning, reduce the income variance and bring the country to levels closer to that full employment. Why is that not the priority? Why does the SACP (one third of the Tripartite Alliance) sit back in the face of a brewing COSATU split and declining ANC popularity without distributing their manifesto?

I am not scared of collectivism. What I am scared of is a defunct autocratic government elected by less than 58% of eligible people, as was the case in 2004.

I am partisan, I know. But please, watch the links below and think twice about entertaining political discussion, because you benefited from the status quo. Proof? You are reading this. Am I advocating that you should share what you have? Or lose what you have? Please, simply release the agents of change.